The Muppet Show is a weekly variety show built on chaos, and it never apologizes for it. Jim Henson created the series, starring himself as Kermit the Frog, a green amphibian who runs a TV show while everything around him is falling apart. That setup is the whole joke.
Kermit’s Problem
Kermit is the show’s host and its sympathetic soul. He is the one trying to keep the show together, and he is constantly disappointed by the people he works with. Frank Oz voices several characters, including Miss Piggy and Fozzie Bear, but the show is at its best when it lets Kermit fail against the odds.
Sketches and Gags
The show is a mix of sketches and musical numbers, with recurring gags about the backstage chaos. Jim Henson, Dave Goelz, Richard Hunt and the rest of the Muppet performers bring their own voices to each character, and the blend of humor is pointed without being mean.
Guest Stars
Each episode brings in a celebrity guest, and the show leans on that guest in ways that let the Muppets push the edge of what they can get away with. The guest stars were often eager to work with the Muppets, and the show built on that.
How It Got Made
Henson made two pilot episodes for ABC in 1974 and 1975, but neither went forward. British producer Lew Grade took the idea, and the show was produced by ITC Entertainment and Henson Associates at ATV Elstree Studios in Borehamwood, Hertfordshire.
A Short Run
The show ran for five seasons, 120 episodes, from 5 September 1976 to 15 March 1981. It premiered in the UK on ITV.
Where It Came From
Many of the characters who appeared on The Muppet Show had appeared before in Muppet productions, and the show became part of the larger Muppet story.
Verdict
The Muppet Show is a tight, funny, often very strange piece of television. It is not perfect, and some of its jokes rely on noise and spectacle, but the show’s confidence is its charm. It is a show built on absurdity and chaos, and it knows exactly what it is doing.
“As The Muppet Show became popular, many celebrities were eager to perform with the Muppets on television and in subsequent films.”
The show ran for five seasons and 120 episodes, and it left its mark on the Muppet world.
| Season | Episodes | Premiere |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | 24 | 5 September 1976 |
| 2 | 24 | 1977 |
| 3 | 24 | 1978 |
| 4 | 24 | 1979 |
| 5 | 24 | 1980 |
The show ends with Kermit still running the show and the Muppets still breaking it. That is the joke, and it is a good one.
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